We’re only going to see more mock drafts as the 2024 NFL draft draws closer, so it’s important to remember why these are valuable: accuracy isn’t necessarily the point. Exploring different scenarios and considering different players is the focus in these thought exercises. Still, they sometimes have a nugget of truth in them — draft experts keyed in quickly on the New Orleans Saints’ interest in Bryan Bresee, Chris Olave, and Trevor Penning in recent years.
The latest projection comes from ESPN’s Matt Miller, who broke down two rounds of picks after spending a week catching up with NFL scouts and team personnel at Senior Bowl practices. And his vision for the Saints is clear: get Derek Carr more weapons. That starts in the first round by picking Georgia tight end Brock Bowers at No. 14 overall. Miller writes:
The Saints miss out on the quarterbacks and top wide receivers in this scenario, but they land a legitimate top-10 talent in Bowers. Built in the mold of George Kittle or Sam LaPorta, Bowers had 56 catches and six scores in 2023, and he left college with 26 career receiving touchdowns to go along with five rushing scores. The 6-foot-4 240-pounder shows great strength when asked to block, but his real value is as a middle-of-the-field receiver, where he can post up safeties and run past linebackers.
Both of the Saints’ top tight ends, Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau, underperformed last season. They’re each under contract for 2024 but it wouldn’t hurt to invest in a long-term plan at the position. Tight ends are notoriously slow to develop but the thinking is Bowers has enough athleticism to help out right away as a receiver while working on his blocking. He has averaged an impressed 8.5 yards after the catch per reception in his career while going 23-of-39 on contested catches (59%), per Pro Football Focus charting.
What about the second round? Miller has the Saints spending their second pick (at No. 45, coming from the Denver Broncos) on South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette. He weighed in a little shorter than his listed size at the Senior Bowl but he still has plenty to work with, having broken out in his fifth season with the Gamecocks. Miller sees him as a good fit in New Orleans:
Veteran wide receiver Michael Thomas is expected to hit free agency and might not return, leaving the Saints with a hole opposite Chris Olave. Legette is powerful at 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds and has an ability to play inside or outside. He’s a master on crossing routes and averaged 17.6 yards per reception in 2023.
Hopefully Carr can have more success targeting those routes over the middle with Legette than he did with Thomas; Carr’s hesitancy on those timing routes attacking the middle of the field were a problem throughout the season. He’s more comfortable targeting the boundary and going outside the numbers than throwing into traffic. Legette would need to help build Carr’s confidence in those passes to bring crossers, slants, and other in-breaking routes back to the offense.
But having multiple high-upside receivers under contract for the foreseeable future would be big. The Saints will retain Rashid Shaheed on an exclusive-rights free agent tender this season (it’s their only option, according to the CBA) and they have both Chris Olave and A.T. Perry playing on rookie contracts. Adding Legette and Bowers to the mix could help prop up Carr and establish a strong supporting cast for the next Saints quarterback if his stay in New Orleans ends up being only temporary.
